Here’s Where Pro-Palestine Protesters Face the Harshest Charges

As the Trump administration fights to deport students who support the Palestinian people, dozens more face extreme charges in local courts.

Last spring, students across the country gathered to demand an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Police responded by arresting more than 3,200 demonstrators. 

The Appeal reviewed charges levied against thousands of people arrested at last spring’s protests. We identified nearly 40 cases where protesters have faced serious felony charges, including allegedly committing a hate crime on a law enforcement officer, mob action, and attempted ethnic intimidation.

Some protesters are facing years of prison time. Many more are dealing with the collateral consequences of criminal charges. Even when charges are dismissed, having an arrest record can make it difficult to get housing or employment. In some cases, international students have been forced to leave the country after university sanctions prevented them from meeting their student visa requirements.

“Students speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza should not face criminalization and lifelong consequences for their activism,” said Hafsa Haider, communications coordinator for CAIR-Chicago, in a statement shared with The Appeal. 

Alexandra Weiner, a former faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, is among the many demonstrators who have had their lives upended by university administrators and local prosecutors for speaking out against genocide. She had been attending a PhD program in Canada, but has had to pause her studies to deal with her charges.

Weiner told The Appeal that Pitt’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) had been trying to meet with Chancellor Joan Gabel for months to ask that the school disclose its investments, divest from companies profiting from Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and support Palestinians. Weiner said Gabel never met with SJP.

Like many other universities, Pitt ultimately called the police on its own students and later suspended SJP over a separate incident. SJP is suing the university for violating students’ First Amendment rights.

“These events took place the first week of June,” Weiner said of the arrests at Pitt’s encampment. “There wasn’t a warrant out for my arrest until January 15. By that time, I had moved to Canada.”

Weiner is Jewish and grew up attending Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where a right-wing extremist shot and killed 11 people in 2018. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala’s office charged both Weiner and her brother, who also attended Pittsburgh protests, with felony aggravated assault. Weiner’s brother lost his job and is no longer able to teach at Pittsburgh public schools as a result of the charges.

“I was at the time, I believe, the only Jewish trans woman faculty person at Pitt,” Weiner said. “For the university to attempt to smear me and my brother as antisemitic and threaten me with a men’s prison is particularly abhorrent.”

Prosecutors offered a handful of demonstrators deals to plead guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges—or have their charges dropped if they comply with extensive diversion agreements. But even a misdemeanor conviction can prevent someone from being allowed into Canada.  

Weiner said she found out about her charges while she was still abroad and was unable to return home to see her family for two and a half months as a result.

“I now have a pending felony charge, which means I fail most background checks for jobs,” Weiner said. “If a landlord searches my name, they can deny me housing based on that charge. I’m still living on friends’ couches with no job, even though I have a Master’s degree.”

SPJ Pittsburgh has launched a campaign to drop the charges against the protesters and raise funds for their legal fees.

In at least five states, protesters are being threatened with extreme charges:

• In Illinois, Champaign County State Attorney Julia Rietz charged eight people with mob action, a felony that carries a three-year prison sentence. Rietz also charged one protester with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer for allegedly touching a police officer’s wrist. The charge carries a minimum sentence of four years and a maximum of 15.
• In Florida, Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez charged at least six people with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm. In Florida, resisting an officer with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, and aggravated assault are felonies that each carry five-year prison sentences.
• In Pennsylvania, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala filed felony aggravated assault and rioting charges against more than a dozen University of Pittsburgh protesters. Rioting is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Aggravated assault carries a potential 10-year sentence.
• In Michigan, state Attorney General Dana Nessel took cases from the local district attorney and filed felony charges, including resisting a police officer and attempted ethnic intimidation, against seven protesters. Students face up to two years in prison.
• In Louisiana, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has yet to make a charging decision against the dozen protesters who were arrested for allegedly committing a hate crime on a law enforcement officer, battery on a police officer, resisting arrest with violence, and a slew of other charges. Hate crime on a law enforcement officer carries a potential five-year prison sentence.

Overall, prosecutors in these five jurisdictions have filed or are considering filing at least 187 charges—58 felonies, 123 misdemeanors, and six civil citations—against 66 people.

A majority of the protesters are in their teens and twenties. A handful are in their thirties or forties. Of the 66 protesters, 27 are still fighting their cases in court, 12 have charges pending, and 11 have had their cases diverted or conditionally discharged—meaning their charges will be dismissed as long as they comply with their diversion agreements.

Six have had their cases processed as civil citations. Five have been sentenced to probation. Three protesters have had their cases dismissed. And two have had their records sealed or expunged.

Michigan

Throughout 2024, police arrested several students at anti-war demonstrations at the University of Michigan. In May, police officers clad in riot gear pepper-sprayed protesters in the face at point-blank range and sent students to the hospital. 

An investigation by The Guardian revealed that members of the University of Michigan’s governing board asked the state attorney general to bring charges against the protesters. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel took the case from local District Attorney Eli Savit and filed charges against 11 people.

Nessel charged seven protesters with trespassing and resisting a police officer, a felony that carries a potential two-year prison sentence. All seven are due back in court in the next two months.

Two more students face misdemeanor trespassing charges and are due back in court on May 21.  

Two students have accepted plea deals so far. One was charged with disturbing the peace and attempted ethnic intimidation for allegedly kicking over flags. He ultimately pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to six months’ probation, three days of community service, and ordered to pay fines and fees.

Nessel charged the other student with malicious destruction of personal property for allegedly destroying flags. The protester pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace and was sentenced to six months’ probation, five days of community service, and ordered to pay fines and fees.

On April 6, federal agents detained and interrogated Amir Makled, an attorney representing one of the protesters, Sammie Lewis, at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Makled was returning to the United States from a trip to the Dominican Republic with his wife and children. 

Customs agents detained Makled for 90 minutes and insisted on taking his phone. Makled refused to hand the device over and was ultimately released. He told reporters the ordeal marked a concerning escalation in the Trump administration’s targeting of anti-war protesters.

“I think what happened to my attorney—and the charges against me—show that the Democrats like Nessel are not only complicit in fascism under Trump, they have originated the very conditions we face now,” Lewis told The Appeal. “It may be pro-Palestine protesters now, but soon it will be everyone else that doesn’t blindly follow the authoritarian rule of Trump and capitalism.”

Illinois

Last April, police forcibly disbanded an encampment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and arrested two people.

In the months that followed, police used license plate readers and social media posts to identify additional people from the protest. Since then, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz’s office has charged at least eight people with “mob action,” a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.

Under Illinois law, someone commits “mob action” when they knowingly or recklessly assemble to use force or violence or to commit a felony or misdemeanor. 

Evan Bruno, an attorney representing an 18-year-old student charged with mob action, contested the charges, telling local news that levying such charges against protesters sets a harmful precedent that could discourage people from exercising their First Amendment rights. 

“In most mob action cases, the group’s purpose is to go do something illegal—to maybe beat someone up, commit some crime—that’s what makes the group into a mob,” Bruno said. “In this case, the group’s purpose is to exercise First Amendment freedom, protest, and hold a demonstration. To make that group a mob and charge its individual members with felonies, you need to show that they have an unlawful purpose, and that doesn’t exist here.”

A state judge, however, denied Bruno’s motion to dismiss the case last month.

Court records show that two of the eight people charged so far pleaded guilty and received conditional discharges. The remaining six pleaded not guilty and are still working out their cases. All six are due back in court this month. In addition to the mob action charge, prosecutors charged one of the six protesters with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer for allegedly touching a police officer’s wrist. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of four years and a maximum sentence of 15 years.

For the two protesters with resolved cases, both originally pleaded not guilty. Each ultimately took a deal to drop the felony mob action charge in exchange for pleading to a misdemeanor obstruction charge. 

Both protesters entered into a conditional discharge agreement that allows the charges to be dropped if they complete 100 hours of community service, submit to one year of court supervision, and pay hundreds of dollars in fines and fees.

“Rietz’s prosecution of pro-Palestinian students is an alarming abuse of power meant to chill free speech,” said Haider from CAIR-Chicago. “Despite claiming to support First Amendment rights, she has pursued felony charges at UIUC’s request, using surveillance and intimidation tactics to silence dissent.”

Pennsylvania

When students gathered at the University of Pittsburgh last April to protest the genocide in Gaza, police responded by tackling protesters to the ground and ripping apart tents. When demonstrators set up an encampment at the university in June, police barricaded students inside the protest area and sent at least one person to the hospital. 

As was the case in Illinois, while police arrested only a handful of people during the protests, officers later used social media footage and body-worn camera video to identify additional demonstrators and issue arrest warrants.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has since prosecuted at least 20 University of Pittsburgh protesters for dozens of felony and misdemeanor charges.

So far, two people have been sentenced to probation, three have entered into diversion programs, one had his case dismissed, six had their charges processed as non-criminal violations, and nine are due back in court in the coming months.

Prosecutors also dismissed charges against one protester, Keely Savage, after she passed away. She was 38.  

“Keely was a bright light committed to using her activism to make the world a better place,”  Students for Justice in Palestine Pittsburgh wrote in a social media post. “Prior to her passing, Keely expressed pain and fear due to the charges and repression she faced. We demand that the DA drop the charges against Keely’s fellow protestors now before more lives are irrevocably shattered.”

The two protesters who were sentenced to probation were both charged with one felony and three misdemeanors, including aggravated assault. Both ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges of reckless endangerment and obstruction in order to drop the remaining charges. Each was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to have no contact with the University of Pittsburgh. They must also pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees.

Zappala’s office charged a 22-year-old protester with felony rioting, obstruction, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in January, but withdrew the charges in March. Court records do not indicate why the charges were withdrawn. Zappala’s office ignored repeated requests for further information.

Zappala’s office hit another three protesters in their early twenties with three felony charges and 12 misdemeanors. Ultimately, each entered into a diversion program that will allow most of the charges to be dismissed so long as they comply with the terms. 

The students were ordered to complete 100, 200, and 250 hours of community service each, comply with two years of court supervision, have no contact with the University of Pittsburgh, and pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees. One protester was also ordered to write an essay.

The nine remaining protesters are all facing felony charges—including rioting and aggravated assault—as well as a slew of misdemeanors. All nine are due back in court in the coming months.

“I think the U.S. does whatever it wants to do to protect its imperialist and capitalist interests,” Weiner, the former Pitt faculty member, said of the charges against protesters. “The Democrats are, at best, paving the way for fascism and, realistically, are active participants in it.” 

“I think that this also says a lot about the university,” Weiner added. “People need to consider the willingness that universities have to go along with fascist, genocidal governments and what that means for how we interact with our institutions.”

Florida

Last April, police officers carrying shields and wearing gas masks tear-gassed students at the University of South Florida and arrested 13 pro-Palestine protesters. 

Since then, Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez has filed ten felony charges and 34 misdemeanor charges against the 13 protesters.

So far, one pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors in exchange for dropping the felony possession of a firearm on school property charge against him. A judge ordered the man to complete 12 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, forfeit his firearm, attend a gun safety course, and stay away from both the University of South Florida and protest events. 

The state attorney’s office told The Appeal that two protesters charged with misdemeanors have had their records sealed or expunged.

Prosecutors let six protesters enter into diversion agreements. Court records were not available for the four diverted misdemeanor cases, and the state attorney’s office did not provide details on the stipulations of the diversion agreements. 

Two protesters hit with felony charges will have their charges dismissed if they comply with extensive diversion programs. One 18-year-old protester charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer must not break any additional laws or be arrested for at least nine months, not change his residence or leave the country or state without alerting the officer, not associate with persons engaged in criminal activity, not possess drugs, and not possess or attempt to purchase a firearm. He must also report to a probation officer, attend school or work regularly, show proof of employment, agree to testify against others that participated in criminal offenses related to this offense, complete 50 hours of community service, and pay hundreds of dollars in fines.

A 23-year-old protester charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer pleaded not guilty and eventually had his felonies reduced to misdemeanors. From there, he entered a diversion program, complied with the terms, and got the charges dismissed. 

Three cases are still open. Those people collectively face ten charges. All are due back in court this month.

One 21-year-old charged with three misdemeanors and two felonies pleaded not guilty and had felony charges reduced to a misdemeanor. Prosecutors ultimately decided to drop the charges. Court records do not indicate why.

In addition to criminal charges, many protesters faced university sanctions. One student was forced to return to Colombia after the University of South Florida suspended him, since he could no longer meet the requirements for his student visa.

Louisiana

Last April, pro-Palestine protesters set up an encampment at Jackson Square Park in New Orleans. Police responded with an enormous show of force, using batons and tasers to subdue anti-war protesters and send three to the hospital. 

Footage shared on social media shows officers indiscriminately throwing protesters onto the ground face-first. Video showed one male officer tasing a woman as she fled while another cop tased a handcuffed woman. According to local news, one demonstrator’s injuries were so severe that he appeared in court in a wheelchair. Another reportedly suffered a broken arm.

New Orleans Police Department officers ultimately arrested 12 protesters for trespassing, committing a hate crime on law enforcement, aggravated battery on a police officer, resisting an officer by force or violence, and interfering with a law enforcement investigation.

The protesters, who were all in their twenties or thirties, were booked into jail and had their bonds set between $2,000 and $25,000. The nine protesters charged with misdemeanors were released from their bail obligations in July after the district attorney’s office failed to begin prosecuting the cases within 90 days of their arrests. The district attorney can refile the charges in the future.

For the remaining protesters, court records indicated little besides the bond amount and booking information. In most instances, the cases have not had new activity since July.

The Appeal contacted Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams seven times by phone and email seeking further information, but the district attorney’s office did not respond. 

An Orleans Parish Magistrate Court clerk told The Appeal that the defendants are waiting to see whether the district attorney’s office will accept or refuse the charges. 

The clerk said she didn’t know if there was a deadline to file charges. She directed The Appeal to the district attorney’s office, which again did not respond.